Gone
by TheSingingPterodactyl
Summary: They were gone. Just like that. One moment they were in the anomaly, and the next they were cut out of their time. Taking place in S2 E5, the anomaly closed on Cutter, Stephen and Taylor and now Connor and Abby have only one thing to hold onto. Hope that they'll make it back. One-Shot, not meant as an AU. Please R&R!


_**Disclaimer:**_** Primeval and it's brilliant characters belong to someone else, meaning Impossible Pictures. In this One-Shot I did quote the episode itself at times, and I do not claim to own that of the episode. No copyright intended.**

_**A/N: **_**I watched the episode and it made me wonder what Abby and Connor were up to during Cutter, Stephen and Taylor's adventure. I know it had to be hard on them, and I wanted to capture that as well as capture a resemblance to when Connor, Abby and Danny are stuck in the past. **

* * *

"They've gone …. They're gone." Connor stood in shock, tears building up in his eyes.

"We've lost 'em." Abby's arms were wrapped around him, gripping him tight like he still needed to be held back. The anomaly had closed; there was nothing to run to anymore.

"Maybe ..." he started as they both didn't move from their position. "Maybe it will reopen." Abby's heart pounded against Connor's back, Connor's breath was heavy as they just stared at the place where an anomaly once stood. It had to reopen.

"They're … I never even said-" she started but Connor turned to her and clasped her face in his hands.

"Abs, they're coming back. They have to. They might be gone now, but they're coming back, yeah?" She gave him a soft smile. She rested her hand on his arm pulled one away from her face so she could rest her own hand on his cheek.

"Conn…" she tried to say, but he wouldn't listen. Connor jerked from touch and walked back into the sun, seeing Jenny back at the scene in shock. She must have witnessed the whole thing.

"They're gone … just like that." Jenny mumbled to herself.

"No!" Connor shouted. Abby and Jenny both were taken aback from his tone of voice. Connor never shouted. "We are not giving up on 'em! Not like that! Other anomalies open, there is **_still_** a chance to get them back!"

Abby walked closer to him and tried to protest. "Connor, how could they possibly-?"

"You were as good as dead and I didn't give up on you, Abby. Everyone else did but I didn't – I'm not giving up on Cutter and Stephen if there's still some hope they're alive." He looked at her in the eyes. It took her a moment to understand what he meant, but when she did she looked at Jenny confused.

"Is that true…? Did people think I was dead?" Abby asked Jenny, she was still in shock but she was listening.

"'Fraid so." She quietly answered, trying to ravel her mind around them being gone.

"We're not givin' up, Abs. We're not." Connor stared at her in the eyes, waiting for a reply. Abby nodded and glanced at Jenny who was now pulling herself together.

"We need to go to the ARC… tell Lester." She breathed in and sighed. "Figure out what our next move is."

* * *

Once they arrived all Jenny had to do was give him that look to tell him something bad happened. They expected a groan and harsh comment about how stupid they could be and how irritating his job was, but he didn't. He just looked … almost sad.

In Lester's mind they had just rescued Abby, the first real thought to be dead member of the team, and right when he felt good about being able to save a life, even if it wasn't him who saved her. But now Cutter and Stephen were … might as well be, dead.

But Lester had hope, just like the hope he could see in Connor's eyes, just like the hope he could see in Abby's. Connor was near tears, but he was hopeful and Abby was quiet, but she was hopeful. Jenny though, all she could say was how they needed to accept they might be dead.

"If they find water then they could survive for a few weeks, if they don't…" Connor looked down ahead of him. Abby was near tears now and Jenny couldn't stand this.

"So what do we do now?" she asked, helping Connor not to have to say it just yet. Lester took a deep breath in as he turned his chair back and forth in a nervous precaution.

"We carry on." He looked up at the two buffoons traumatized from losing their friends. "Daphne and Scrappy will have to take charge of the anomaly operation." They're faces covered in shock; they looked at each almost ill like. They were too young to take charge of anomalies! They couldn't … that was Cutter's job.

"You mean us?" Connor asked after a moment of hesitation. Lester looked at the door in front of him to avoid the eye contact he ever so hated.

"Unfortunately yes … God help us…" Connor and Abby didn't hear what he said after; they were too much in shock to understand the words around them. They heard Jenny speak, something about the girl that was in the anomaly. Oh god, that poor girl… she was just as dead as them.

"In the mean time we have no option but to go on with the job. Good luck." Connor heard Lester say, Abby kept her arms crossed and kept glancing at his reaction as Connor traded his weight from one foot to the next, trying to release the anxiety that was building up in him. Lester gave them a look to leave and Jenny walked out, Connor and Abby slowly turning out of the office, afraid of what was the responsibility out there now.

They walked in the hub, both silent and still. Jenny came beside them, placing a gentle hand on Connor's arm.

"You two go to the break room, take some time before we start back to work." Connor and Abby nodded. "When you get back, we're going to hope another anomaly opens – and if one does, all we can hope then is that it's Cutter and Stephen's anomaly." Abby gave Jenny a smile and she started for the break room, Connor didn't move. She tugged on his arm as he stood there, staring at the ADD, as if it would go off ringing right now.

"C'mon, Conn. Let's go get some tea, yeah?" his watery eyes shifted to her, it took him a moment to process but he nodded and followed her as she took his hand and led him to the break room.

"Abby," he finally spoke as they entered the room.

She looked at him and walked over to the kitchen. "Hmm?"

"Can I just say that I'm sorry? For earlier? Telling you about thinkin' you dead, it wasn't right of me, in the situation that is… I just, with Cutter and Stephen – and Jenny acting like they were dead and-"

"Connor?" she interrupted him, watching him from the fridge as he sat at the rounded table.

He looked at her, eyes wide. "Yup?"

"You're forgiven." She smiled. Connor gave a weak smile in return and looked down at the table with his teary eyes. She stood there, not remembering what she was even doing, thinking about that day still bringing shivers down her spine. "It's true, though? What you and Jenny said?"

Connor's eyes lifted. He nodded his head like it was painfully stiff, and words wouldn't even manage out of him. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He gave a sigh and looked back at the table – Abby forgot completely about the tea and sat beside him, clutching his hand into hers.

Connor stared at her touch, not sure what to do. "Abs,"

"Yeah…?"

He brought his eyes up to meet hers. "You're holding me hand."

Abby laughed and gripped it tighter. "So I am. No different when you held my hand over the cliff." He looked down and squeezed her hand back, smiling to himself. He'd never thought he'd ever even get a _smile_ out of Abby Maitland when he first met her, now she was living with him and holding his hand. "Thank you."

He gave her a confused look. "For what?"

"You saved my life, and I don't think I ever thanked you for that." Connor looked back down and sighed.

"You don't need to thank me, Abs."

"Yeah," she took a deep breath in, smiling at Connor as he avoided looking back at her. "I do. – Must've been horrid."

"What must've?" he asked, still looking down. Abby stared, hoping he'd look at her, but she knew he wouldn't.

"Thinking me dead." Connor's head whipped back up and she went on before he could protest. "I know, I know. You didn't give up – but if _they_ gave up looking for me, then I would sooner or later be dead without them or not. If you had been the one taken into the water…" now it was Abby's turn to look away, she stared at his hand as they stayed intertwined. "You're my best friend, Conn." Abby felt Connor's hand on her cheek, she looked up at his touch and he smiled at her.

"Best mates eh?" he smiled just to make her do the same. "You're not going to lose me."

She smiled back at him, giving him a nod. "And we're not going to lose Cutter or Stephen either."

Connor nodded in agreement, trying to push back all the tears and horrid thoughts. "No, we're not." They sat hand in hand, with peaceful silence at their side. They didn't need to say anything – they just needed to be with someone. After it felt like hours, but more around thirty minutes, Jenny approached the room to see them both quietly holding each other's hands.

"Lester's wants someone to watch the sight," they both jumped, being startled out of their thoughts. Connor turned to see Jenny at the door and she smiled at them. "I thought I'd tell him you two would like to do so, that's assuming you do."

They shared a look and both nodded with a smile to her. Jenny nodded.

"Well, then let's go. I'll take a separate car there and then I'll have to go deal with the parent of the little girl."

"We'll be right there." Abby kindly answered. Jenny nodded again and walked away, leaving Connor and Abby once again alone. "You ready, then?"

Connor looked up from their hands and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

Abby and Connor stood behind Jenny as she stared into the dead-end that once lead into prehistoric time. Her eyes didn't seem to leave the location of the once-to-be anomaly. Connor and Abby stood side by side, watching their friend, watching their hope slowly dissipate in time.

Connor whispered over to Abby who was keeping her eyes fixed on the location as well. He told her he couldn't do it, be the team leader – he couldn't do it without Cutter. He couldn't do it alone.

"You won't have to." Abby bent her head up to see him; her eyes were more filled of hope than his now. The longer the day went Connor was losing that flicker of faith known as an anomaly, but Abby was now determined they **_were _**coming back. For his sake, he supposed. "They're coming back."

Connor nodded, agreeing – she was right of course. They were coming back. Connor thought about that for a moment though, he wondered if that was her saying he wouldn't have to be alone because he had her or if he wouldn't have to do it without Cutter. "Yeah … I know." He said, feeling like he was lying. He really didn't know anymore. "How long do we wait?"

Jenny swooped around, looking at them with an exasperated expression. She announced something about needing to leave, but Connor was too wrapped up in the hope for an anomaly to fully understand her words. Abby said they would stay here, and hearing her voice he snapped out of his gaze and looked at Jenny.

"Call me if there's any change or…" Connor nodded at her, understanding the pain and confusion she was feeling. "Just call me." They both gave another nod and she walked off. Connor stared intently at the dead end of a drainage pipe, Abby watching him, hoping to herself that he hadn't lost all his faith that they'd be back through. Connor felt her eyes on him and he looked down, giving her a smile to reassure her he was fine before they both looked away from each other and stared back into the pipe.

Abby reminded herself that if they didn't come back, not that that was an option, she would make sure that she helped Connor through this. She would take his hand as they **_both_** worked as the leaders of the team. They had Jenny of course, and she knew Lester would most likely find a replacement for Stephen and Cutter, but there would be a time in-between that would be brutal. Abby **_would_**be with Connor, be there for Connor that is; just like he would be there for her.

Connor let out an exhausted sigh roll out of his lungs and into the air they breathed. The shallow breaths of them both meant they simply wanted to hear that detector start beeping off. It had a range of all of London, and if it went off, it had to mean only one thing.

Abby looked around, feeling her legs start to give in from the lack of sleep they had in the past twenty-four hours. She eased down to the dirty ground, folding her legs up and propped one elbow on her thigh as she watched the empty tunnel and rested her head on her fist.

Connor looked down, seeing Abby sit and watch. He looked back ahead of him and persistently prayed over and over again in his head. They had to make it back. He thought back of when they were all together, teasing him about his invention that was quite brilliant if you asked him. It didn't have to be sexy! Just needed to work, yeah? Thinking back brought a smile to his face; Abby must have seen the smile because she then finally broke their eerie silence.

"Wha'?" she asked. Connor looked down, seeing her looking up at him in return.

Connor shrugged. "Nothin'."

"It's gotta be somethin' to be smilin' over." She replied, now looking ahead of her again.

"Maybe I just like to smile, yeah? Stretches me muscles." He joked. Even though his voice came off raw and worried he still managed to make a joke.

"I don't think when they say to stretch they mean your face muscles." Abby quipped back, looking up at him with a smirk.

At that comment Connor grunted some before sitting beside her and brushing off another shrug. "Some people like to keep fit, I like to the keep happy."

Abby's smirk faded into a smile and she rested her head on his shoulder before answering. "I know. And that keeps me happy."

Connor looked at her head that continually rested on his arm. He was almost in a bit of shock; Abby didn't tend to do things like this. But then again, he did tell her he was breaking up with Caroline. _He actually already had, but he wouldn't dare tell her that._ Maybe she wanted him to go forward in his feelings.

"Abs," he started and she hummed a reply for him to go on. "What would you say we are? Other than best mates, that is." Abby raised her head and looked at him confused. How she was supposed to even answer that?

"Why are you asking that?"

"Listen, Abs, when you we went through to the future and you were slipping out of my hands I told you something-"

"Conn," she interrupted him. "Let's not talk about that now, yeah?"

Connor nodded and turned his head back to the pipe, Abby laid her head back on his shoulder and he knew he should leave it be, for Abby's wishes. But she needed to know he really did say it, and he needed to tell her when he still had the courage to do so. "You're right – we should wait until they get back." She nodded, he could feel her head move back and forth on his sleeve. "But Abs I need to tell you this because losing Cutter and Stephen had made me realize why I said what I said."

Abby didn't move. She just kept her head still on his arm. Connor took it as her approval and he continued. "Abby, when I thought you dead it made me realize how much you **_couldn't_** be dead, how much I…" she once again lifted her head and looked him in the eyes, hearing his hesitation and waiting for him to say those words. It made his heart feel like it stopped completely, how she stared at him, how much she seemed to want him to say it. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and spoke. "I… Abby, I-"

Suddenly the anomaly detector went off. Abby looked at him a bit dazed, and then they both forgot about what they were even talking about when grins spread across their faces. It was an anomaly.

"Got the keys?" she asked as she sprung to her feet and helped him up with her. He felt his trouser pocket and nodded. "Connor, this is it!" she took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "They're coming back, I know they are." And Connor gave a determined nod and followed quickly behind as they ran to the car; ready to see their hope come to a miraculous outcome.

* * *

The car came to a halt, Lester's men's cars all lined up behind them. They jumped out of their vehicle, following the where the detector said to go since the cars couldn't go any further into the trees. They were at some amusement park and it resembled some of the less prehistoric eras. They both ran through the woods, hearing Lester's men demanding them to slow down. Connor paused after ignoring the soldiers for a while, Abby starting to worry.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to see the detector. "Did it close?"

"No, no the anomaly! It just took some kind of vibrancy through it!" he looked at her excited. "There's been an incursion!"

"In most situations we wouldn't be very happy about that." Abby laughed and they went on through the woods until they heard voices that made them run even faster. Connor forgot about the detector and they went as fast as they could when they heard two very familiar voices.

"Cutter!" Connor yelled. Through the leaves and branches they saw three people, a young girl, Stephen, and Cutter. They looked at each other with wide, ecstatic grins – now realizing they had stopped at some point. Not even paying attention to the unconscious actor in front of them.

Abby and Connor laughed in astonishment, they knew they were coming back, but it still didn't take the shock away from seeing them actually standing in front of them. "I knew you'd make it back!" Abby said, giving Connor a look and seeing how happy he really was.

"It is really, **_really_** great to see you guys." And Stephen started talking about how Connor was wrong about the era, and Abby and Connor didn't care. They were back, they weren't gone they were home. And that was how it was going to stay.

_When Cutter and Stephen made it back Abby and I were relieved, grateful, and beyond happy. But mostly happy. We're all back in a team, and it made me realize how dangerous going through anomalies can be, but it also made me realize that we'll always make it back. Because that's what we do, isn't it?_

_Connor Temple's report on the 14/10/08 event._

Jess looked down from the screen she had been scanning for hours now. Her job was to read the reports and files of everything, which included the personal reports of Connor Temple. These files were why she felt like she knew Abby, Connor and Danny so well. They put so much of their personality into the reports, which wasn't in the job description, but they did it anyway.

Connor, Abby and Danny had been missing for seven months and eight days. Everyone had lost practically all hope in them coming back, but Lester always had that gleam in his eye when someone mentioned their names. He still had hope. Jess did too, mainly because of Lester – but today she mentioned the lockers they had stored in the back and he said she could throw them out. Something about how he said it brought pain to Jess. He was losing the faith that Becker had, and that Becker lost long ago.

Lester came strolling in the hub to tell Jess something but before he could speak Jess twisted her chair around to face him, tears building up in her eyes.

"Oh dear, did we read another chapter of The Lovely Bones today?" he said with an irritated expression, but his voice came out more worried. Jess smiled and shook her head. She leaped out of her chair and suddenly gave him a hug, Lester not sure what to do with himself.

"Ms. Parker, I don't … I don't …" he didn't finish it as he heard her sniffle. He just patted her back, saying the expected 'There, there.' When Jess pulled away she gave him another smile and spoke.

"No." Lester looked lost and his brows furrowed at that word. "I'm not throwing out the lockers, because you don't want to throw them out." She ran to the desk and came back with a printed file with the date and name on it, and handed it to Lester. Lester was just speechless at her actions. "They're coming back. Connor Temple said it himself! That's what they do. They'll be back, you know it, and it would be rude to throw their stuff out just like that." She gave another flash of a grin and turned back to her chair, sat down, and scrolled through more reports of Connor's.

Lester stood there, he opened the file and saw the last comment that Connor made before ending the report. A smile grew on his face, not that he let anyone see it, and he cleared his voice to tell Jess something. "Jess, put those lockers somewhere safe, make sure they're here when they make it back."

Jess nodded and turned away to grin. Lester turned away as well, walking to his office, and opening the file to read. Bringing back old memories, he smiled and sat at his desk to read the first few sentences.

_Stephen and Cutter were gone. Just like that. And Abby and I felt like there was nothing we could do. We were terrified, but we weren't the only ones, and now we're not terrified anymore. Thank god._

**The End**

* * *

**_Hope you liked it! I thought bringing Lester in the end wrapped it up nicely, though the whole episode makes you sad when they talk about losing them and you want to cry because you've seen S2 finale and S3. E3. I seriously think that episode was like them foreshadowing. But anyway! Please R&R! _**

**_Once I said Reviews were like cheesecake, well Reviews are also like Apple Juice.  
I love Apple Juice. _**


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